The Siren's Last Song

Secrets

After the most incredible night of my life, I lay in bed with my thoughts swimming out of control. How could a human make me feel this way? I was in complete disbelief. Everything about him lingered in my mind. I couldn't wait to see him again, which only frustrated me further… We made plans to meet at my rock tonight after sunset. I was terrified, but ectatic for the meeting.

Per usual, Cora came knocking, then immediately let herself in. "Why are you still in bed?!" Cora exclaimed. "Daydreaming I guess," I said somberly. She rolled her eyes and then swiftly yanked me by the tail out of bed. I let out a sharp yelp and glared at her. She only shrugged her shoulders and said "Let's go already, I'm bored, and I need my partner in crime." Without a word, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

We had to do a Cora Adventure today, which was always my least favorite. All it ever consisted of was looking for shiny things she could add to her collection. She especially loves to find oysters and harvest their pearls, while also having snacks of the oysters themselves. It was utterly boring. I generally would stay somewhat close to her and scour the ocean floor for lost human objects. They were just so fascinating; a gadget for almost everything you could think of. I was doing my best to distract my thoughts from my anticipation of tonight. I wanted desperately to tell Cora, but I knew she would try to stop me or follow me.

Sunset was finally here, I was just waiting for it to disappear behind the mountains. The other Sirens were dispersing into their dwellings, while the scouts scanned the perimeters. The sun had finally set, and I made one quick trip to Cora's to ensure she was inside and going to sleep. The coast was clear, and I was free to take off. I took off, swimming as fast as I could in hopes I would beat him there. I approached under the rock, shocked, seeing the bottom of a small boat next to it. He was already there waiting for me. Suddenly I felt lightheaded, and my heart started racing. Then I realized there was music playing. He had brought his instrument and was again playing my song. I peeked up silently from the water, only exposing my head. I saw him from behind and started singing. He froze and stopped playing. His head quickly turned around and locked eyes with me. I stopped my singing and returned his stare.

"Wow." Was all he said. I swam closer to the rock as he leaned closer. "Will you join me up here?" He asked sweetly. I stood silent for a moment and said "I don't think I should." He looked at me with concern and asked why not. I looked away from his gaze and spoke quietly, "What if you cannot handle the full sight of me?" He looked confused, "How could I possibly not handle that?" I looked at him, stating, "You've only seen my face, what if you are afraid of my entirety?" Without a bat of his eyes he looked at me saying "There is nothing about you that I could not like."

I mustered up all the courage I had and started climbing the rock. I told him not to look until I was up there. I got up near him on the large rock, easing my breath before allowing him to look at me. "Okay." I said with hesitation. His eyes opened and went wide, looking me up and down. After what felt like an eternity of silence, he said "You're breathtaking." I shied away from his gaze, to which he said "Please, don't leave again." How could I possibly disappear from this man? He did something to me that I couldn't explain, and he wasn't scared of my appearance in the slightest. There was only a short silence, then he met my gaze and asked, "May I touch you?" I was confused by the question and looked at him inquisitively. He smiled and said, "Your skin is unlike any I have ever seen; I would love to know what it feels like." I was unsure how to feel, but something told me I could trust him; I nodded gently.

He reached out to me slowly, starting at my shoulder. The moment he touched my skin it was like electricity, I was overcome by a warming sensation that spread through my entire body. "Wow" was all he said. He caressed down my arm and then asked for my hand. I presented my hand into his, and he trailed his fingers over my palm and touched the webbing between my fingers, then feeling my claws. He looked so intrigued and fascinated with my anatomy. He then took his hand and ran it down my back, feeling the small fins along my spine. Then he gently touched my gills on my ribs, which made me quiver. He stopped, looking concerned, "Did I hurt you?" he asked. "No, not at all" I whispered. I noticed he was looking down at my tail; I nodded at him that it was okay. He stroked my tail, being so gentle. I was immediately rushed with a burning warmth down below. And by the look he was giving me, he felt it too. I looked up into his beautiful eyes and his gaze was fixated intensely on mine. I started to feel a drying sensation and quickly realized that I was close to transformation. I have to leave now.

He saw the look of concern in my expression and asked what was wrong. "I'm sorry, but I've been here too long, I need to go now." He appeared hurt, which affected me for some reason. I can't let that get to me now, this was for my own protection. Humans aren't meant to be trusted. He started to say something, but was cut off by the sound of me splashing into the water. Underwater I heard the sounds of him saying please. I can't just disappear again. I popped my head out of the water so he could see me. "You are my muse, my light, my all; I will be here every night after sunset to see you should you decide to come." He said, looking into my eyes. All I could get out was "You'll see me again." And swam away.

I swam faster than I ever had before, retreating to the safety of my home. Once inside, I had to catch my breath. What the hell did I just do???? I scolded myself for being so foolish, but at the same time, I couldn't stop thinking about him. All I knew was that this was going to be the biggest secret I've ever had to keep. No one could know about this. I lay there in disbelief that a human and I had secrets together...